“Aye, that I did,” he answered with a shrewdly significant air.

“Both of them?” suggested Mrs. Medlock.

“Both of ’em,” returned Ben Weatherstaff.  “Thank ye kindly, ma’am, I could sup up another mug of it.”

“Together?” said Mrs. Medlock, hastily overfilling his beer-mug in her excitement.

“Together, ma’am,” and Ben gulped down half of his new mug at one gulp.

“Where was Master Colin?  How did he look?  What did they say to each other?”

“I didna’ hear that,” said Ben, “along o’ only bein’ on th’ step-ladder lookin’ over th’ wall.  But I’ll tell thee this.  There’s been things goin’ on outside as you house people knows nowt about.  An’ what tha’ll find out tha’ll find out soon.”

And it was not two minutes before he swallowed the last of his beer and waved his mug solemnly toward the window which took in through the shrubbery a piece of the lawn.

“Look there,” he said, “if tha’s curious.  Look what’s comin’ across th’ grass.”

When Mrs. Medlock looked she threw up her hands and gave a little shriek and every man and woman servant within hearing bolted across the servants’ hall and stood looking through the window with their eyes almost starting out of their heads.

Across the lawn came the Master of Misselthwaite and he looked as many of them had never seen him.  And by his side with his head up in the air and his eyes full of laughter walked as strongly and steadily as any boy in Yorkshire—­Master Colin!

THE END

* * * * *

Transcriber’s notes: 

Table of Contents, an exclamation point was added to Chapter VI’s title to match the text. (there was!”)

Page 34, quotation mark added. (India,” said)

Page 62, apostrophe added to “an’”. (readin’ an’)

Page 101, quotation mark added. (come to-morrow.”)

Page 117, comma changed to period. (she ventured.)

Page 163, extraneous quotation mark removed. (the gardeners?)

Page 216, “it” changed to “if”. (wondering if he)

Page 262, Illustration:  Closing punctuation added. (WIDE SMILE.”)

Page 272, period added. (he said.)

Page 284, apostrophe added. (Dickon.  “An’)

Page 318, “every” changed to “very”. (very easily)

Page 330, “eggs” changed to “Eggs” to fit rest of text. (injurious to the Eggs)